Balance of Food

Farm Bill split opens doors to frank food stamps discussion

The GOP-led House passed a Farm Bill that took food stamps out of the picture. The Republicans want to take up food stamps in a separate bill. Later.

Liberals and progressives don't like this move because they fear what will happen to food stamps if dealt with separately. Their fears are justified about the potential loss of food stamps.

We've had more consecutive bad Farm Bills than the Pittsburgh Pirates have had losing seasons (20 straight years). The Pirates have an extremely good chance at ending that string in 2013. Farm Bill? Not so much.

Splitting the Farm Bill and separating out the elements can start a desperately needed dialogue about the American farm and food strategy.

We need to stop having pretend conversations about Cadillac welfare queens and iPod wearing people laughing about using food stamps. We need to start having real conversations about the 80% of people on food stamps who are working, and finding out more about the 20% who aren't able to work who are getting help.

Separating food stamps from the Farm Bill is a dangerous risk to food stamps. But the split might get us to start having a real conversation about food help.

Speaking of pretend conversations, we hear that the Farm Bill subsidizes regular farmers in case their crops don't do as well as expected. The vast majority of this part of the Farm Bill goes to "farmers" who have plenty, many of whom are getting paid not to grow. We are also paying farmers who are farming to grow tons of corn and soybeans (most of which is GMO), most of which we don't need and is doing damage to our soil.

We're told that supporting food stamps raises the deficit and produces dependency. Well, the reality of helping those who don't need help is they get more help and get the money for longer, so they are more dependent.

So we like the idea of paying farmers, but not the kind of paying that struggling farmers really could use.

Conservatives hate food stamps with a unnatural zeal. Even when they're told that food stamps have a small margin of abuse (much less than subsidies for the rich farmers) or that food stamps help out the community by encouraging direct spending, they don't care.

They are upset at President Barack Obama because more people are on food assistance than when the last guy was in charge. There are two good reasons: 1) the crash of the economy (caused by their actions) and 2) trying to offer assistance to those who need it. But again, facts can't slow down their anger toward food stamps.

Food stamps get bashed because they are invisible yet when you see the results, they make a better community for such a small investment.

So we have a pool of money, some for farmers and some for those who eat food. We want to spend the money wisely but still help those who want a better food process. We want liberals to be happy, but conservatives too, if they can be happy.

-- We give money to farmers, but actual real farmers who are doing the right thing, but are struggling.

-- Some of that money comes through vouchers for those people who need food assistance to spend in farmers markets, CSAs, or other direct methods to farmers. We have to spend money (short-term) to educate people that they can use this option.

-- For this part of the food stamps program, we haven't given a cent to the poor people, but we have given money to the farmers. The farmers who really need help. And we haven't given any money directly to the farmers, so far.

Local small farmers are happier since they are getting help in the best way: getting money for their crop. No paying farmers not to farm, but them getting money for farming.

Those on food assistance who have access to farmers markets can get great produce to supplement their food supply.

A strong system that matches the two parties together doesn't involve huge amounts of red tape or bureaucracy. The exchange of food and vouchers is all done on a local level and keeps money within the community.

In some areas, people receiving food assistance can get food at farmers markets, but some seed money (pun intended) would jumpstart that to a much broader level.

This suggestion only solves a portion of the food problem in this country. Some don't have easy access to farmers or farmers markets and this won't help out others who need more than just good produce.

Raising wages help people be able to afford the basic necessities of life. And while the truly rich has recovered from the depressive recession of 2008, most people's wages, especially the working poor, haven't kept up.

The Dems could put together a comprehensive bill noting several factors to lift boats so people can better afford access to food. Yes, the Dems aren't in power in the House, but they could take a lesson from the parliamentary system and offer an alternative so voters can see what they would do if the Dems were put back in charge.

But even with all of those bills and proposals, people in this country will still need food assistance. SNAP, food stamps, vouchers — whatever the name, they will still need help. And every private source and food bank out there combined can't make a dent in the problem.

Worried about money? Already saving plenty by not paying rich people to sit on their butts. Worried about dependency? We already have a system where people are ashamed or scared to use what they have a legitimate right to have? Worried about welfare queens? Well, you should be as scared of welfare queens as you are of the Sharknado.

Slider Bites: China not the only problem with Smithfield Foods

You should be worried about the potential of a takeover of Smithfield Foods by a Chinese company. Then again, if that is your only worry, you should be paying more attention.

The primary worry last week was the impact that potentially lower standards would have on the U.S. food supply. But consumers should be even more concerned about how few U.S. companies control the vast majority of the meat supply.

Smithfield and the other companies that dominate the meat industry are, to coin a tired phrase, “too big to fail.” The cost of failure is even larger when our food supply is concerned.

The Chinese offer may be more about feeding those in China. Still, this offer gives us a chance to see if the United States “anything goes” policy includes a foreign takeover.

The United States food policy is no food policy. There is no long-term thinking or strategy for food production, health, and integrity. As much as some would like to bury their heads in the sand about how our food is grown, companies are in charge of growing most of our food. And those companies can be bought or sold with foreign or domestic buyers.

Even if the Chinese bid is not approved, we shouldn't breathe sighs of relief yet. But this should start the conversation about a national food policy.

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Internal pressure to come up with a sane food policy hasn't been terribly effective. However, outside pressure may be the answer to securing positive change. The U.S. may not care what its citizens eat, but the government cares about selling its food to other countries.

Japan halted a bid on 27,500 tons of Pacific Northwest wheat after a rogue genetically engineered strain was found on an Oregon farm. Other countries/organizations expressing concern include South Korea, the European Union, and Taiwan.

Other countries outside NAFTA want to make sure the food they are getting is GMO-free. Canada and Mexico would likely want their food to be GMO-free, but as we've seen with NAFTA, the dominant country sets the tone. And if those countries aren't sure about what they're getting, the U.S. can't ship as much food overseas as it wants.

Too bad California, Illinois, and Massachusetts can't set the same standards as Japan and South Korea.

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McDonald's came out and admitted what we suspected. No, not that. Not that. And definitely not that. No, the fast food chain admitted that their salads comprised a small percentage of sales.

We like to feel better about fast food places when they offer “healthier” choices. Then again, McD's tried really hard to cram unnecessary calories and fat (e.g., candied walnuts) into its salads, making them less desirable.

We don't ask Panera to make us a greasy burger and cold soggy fries. Sometimes, restaurants are just better off trying to be good (relatively speaking) at what they do, and not try at something where they are destined to fail.

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If I had a time machine and a functioning Flip camera, I would want to be Zachary Maxwell.

Maxwell made a film about how horrible his school lunches were. Maxwell also wanted to convince his parents that the school was not delivering on promised meals.

Maxwell almost lost a day's worth of footage after he got caught and was told he needed to delete the footage. Being a typical 4th grader, he convinced the teacher that he erased the footage, but he really didn't.

Maxwell is showing his film at the Manhattan Film Festival. I would have settled for a private screening for my parents to show them how horrible my school lunches really were. Bad school lunches that were reheated since the elementary school had no kitchen. At 10 years old, I would have loved the lunches Maxwell was rejecting. Sans proof, I couldn't convince my parents as to what I was getting. Maxwell doesn't have that problem.

Taste of Spring 2013 Canadian food ads via NHL Center Ice

We normally expect a bunch of Tim Horton commercials when we get a peek into the world of Canadian food ads.

But we didn't see any new Tim Horton ads in this latest stretch.

We only got the preview that paralleled the beginning of the MLB season, and not the end of the NHL season this week.

The coolest ad involved beer, which isn't technically food. (For more, check out the full version from our sister blog, CanadianCrossing.com.)

There was fast food news in the mix. Let's check in with the column from CanadianCrossing.com with more:

 

In fast food news, Harvey's was pushing a 4-cheese burger with Monterey Jack, cheddar, gouda, and swiss.

Americans like the idea of 4 cheeses on a burger, but might make "safer" choices. I'd be curious to see if gouda would make a top 10 list.

KFC is adapting its Big Crunch sandwich to be a Big Crunch Tower. The regular sandwich is a extra crispy breast with lettuce and mayonnaise sauce.

Mayonnaise sauce sounds even less healthy than mayo.

The Big Crunch Tower adds ketchup, cheese, and a hash brown patty. In case you weren't getting even carbohydrates.

Ketchup, even if Canadian ketchup is usually better, should never go on a chicken sandwich. And mayonnaise sauce sounds depressing. Not sure that cheese even belongs on that sandwich, though some cheeses go well with chicken.

Crunchy hash browns on a crunchy chicken sandwich is overdoing it on carbs, but we've heard worse. Not sure I'll make a road trip for that sandwich.

photo credit: KFC Canada

Temptation of the Week: Soft foods

Soft foods aren't normally tempting. When you break a tooth, and you have a temporary crown in your mouth, you aren't craving soft foods out of desire but necessity.

Going soft for a day or a few days isn't so bad, but two weeks can be nerve-wracking.

Spaghetti turned out to be a nice option. My recent obsession with olives helped. Cutting a hamburger in two is a lot better when you are limited to eating out of one side of your mouth.

Like most people, I had cans of tuna fish sitting in the pantry, so using them up killed more than one bird. Then again, they stayed in the pantry because I struggled to find good uses for them. Tuna salad can only go so far.

Yogurt, Greek or regular, was soft, low in fat, and had plenty of protein. Even putting foods in yogurt can be only so exciting.

Now that I have a permanent crown in my mouth, I realize I left out some crucial soft foods, such as rice. How did I not fix rice in that two weeks?

Soft foods aren't bad, but eating soft foods out of one side of my mouth grew annoying and frustrating. Eating soft foods with a full mouth would be better.

I thought back to high school when a female classmate of mine had her jaw wired shut to fix her smile. She would have killed for soft foods when all she could consume was through a straw. Perspective makes all the difference.

The screaming temptation was to have crunchy foods, the foods you specifically aren't supposed to have — funny how life works that way. French fries are softer than potato chips. Having this period during Super Bowl Sunday meant no nachos, pretzels, chips, or anything else that goes CRUNCH!.

Smoothies, puddings — can't live two weeks on them but they can handle part of the load. I did have applesauce that was going to eventually go bad; a sprinkle of cinnamon and I had a serving of fruit. In summertime, the lack of fresh fruit would have made me very sad. The blueberries from last summer will last a couple weeks longer in the freezer.

Battling with soft foods can depend on your overall approach to food. Stir-frys and Pad Thai have a certain softness. Rice and noodles become your best friends, though I stuck to noodles.

Eating soft diminishes my desire for eating out. Maybe this is because having others watch me eat and chew out of one side of my mouth is not something I wish on complete strangers.

I wasn't the kind of soul to chomp on an apple. I do like hearty breads (really unfortunate since I cracked the tooth while eating a piece of hearty bread. While I don't blame the food for the cracked tooth, I am easing back into having the hearty bread again.

Being stuck in this kind of a pattern makes you appreciate being able to eat what you can when you can. Volunteering to go this route might seem pointless, but you do learn a lesson or two about food appreciation and what attracts us to certain foods where our teeth are much more involved.

Canadian food ads from 2013 NHL Center Ice free preview

Thanks to CanadianCrossing.com for its semi-annual look at Canadian ads during the NHL Center Ice free preview, we get a glimpse into some cool and crazy Canadian food ads.

The preview came about 3½ months late thanks to the NHL lockout (CanadianCrossing.com told us to say "Fire Gary Bettman").

Though there was only 12 days (instead of 25 days) for the 2013 NHL Center Ice free preview, there were some fun ads.

"Starting things off with Tim Horton's in its Welcome to Canada spot. During the promotion, you could get a 49¢ donut with purchase of a hot drink. Sounds like "Welcome to Canada" to me."

"We don't hear much from Molson in the United States. Can't remember the last time I saw Molson in a U.S. bar. But Molson lives in Canada. I enjoyed the Molson Canadian 67 ad for "Guyet," a diet as seen through the eyes of a guy in a beer commercial. He runs so he can eat juicy burgers with fried onion strings on top. Molson Canadian 67 is the company's lighter beer.

Boston Pizza has clever commercials though I've never eaten at one before. I love the pompous guy who does "finger cooking," going online to order food from Boston Pizza. The newest one was where a guy changes into a foodie.

The dish the guy is eating is pulled pork penne, though it looks like he's eating spaghetti. There is a significant difference between penne and spaghetti. An odd juxtaposition.

McDonald's had what seemed to be an innocent commercial about value that ends with a muffin and coffee special. The spot talks about searching for a bargain and then we see "Bridge to USA." This reflects the exodus of Canadian bargain hunters to cross into the United States thanks to the exchange rate and how much more expensive some items are in Canada.

A&W promoted its "Burger Buddies," an inexpensive burger with grilled onions. The customer keeps coming through the drive-thru to wonder why A&W was charging such a low price for such a burger."

KFC in Canada had two separate campaigns. The $4 meal featured chicken, fries, and a customer choice of popcorn chicken, a snacker, or a toasted wrap. The creepy stalker ad was the theme for an ad for KFC Favourites Bucket that featured chicken, popcorn chicken, and fries. Unlike the fries we see here in the States (thick wedges), these were shoestring fries. And they looked good.

The Rogers Sportsnet Pacific feed (Vancouver Canucks) had an ad for Triple O's White Spot fish burger. Most fast food fish sandwiches aren't that appetizing, but this one looked pretty good.

Temptation of the Week: Making your own soft drinks

If there was a product that I would have bought 10 years ago, but maybe not now, SodaStream would be that product.

Making my own soft drinks sounded like a magical experience back when I drank a lot of pop. Carrying 2-liter bottles is a drag, plus you have to drink it fast enough to not lose the fizz. And I could make smaller amounts, so I wouldn't have to worry about the 2-liter bottles in transit or taking up space in the refrigerator.

The problem then and now is that while you can make your own carbonated water, you need outside help to make your own soft drinks. When the product first came out, I read the label on the syrups: high-fructose corn syrup. Oh well, that wasn't going to work.

In anticipation of the Super Bowl ad, and since I ran across the product in a store, I read the label for the syrups. They were clear that the syrups contained no high-fructose corn syrup. This was a positive sign.

Unfortunately, the regular syrups I saw had sucralose and acesulfame potassium (ace K), both artificial sweeteners. That's right. The regular versions, not diet, contained diet sweeteners. If you don't like diet drinks because of the taste of diet sweeteners, why would you drink them in a regular soda?

So without viable syrups, and no way to purchase, let's say, the Dublin Dr. Pepper syrup, why would I buy a SodaStream?

I reached out to two friends who admitted that they had a SodaStream and asked them what they did for the syrups. Both of them said they use the device for carbonated water. Good for them; bad for me.

For those who drink coffee, you know the joys of adding more coffee to make the brew stronger or using less to make a weaker coffee. When I use the soup mix to make an onion dip, I use half of the yogurt to get a stronger taste.

My late father told the story of being a soda jerk as a teenager in Alabama at a time when you could set the syrup level where you wanted before you added the carbonated water. Wanted a stronger Coca-Cola or a Dr. Pepper, you could make that magic happen.

Soon after, the mixture of syrup and carbonated water was set by the manufacturer and you were stuck with that combination. At least back then, you got sugar in your regular soft drink. Now with more drinks coming in mixtures of sugar or high-fructose corn syrup along with artificial sweeteners, you have less control than ever before.

More than I've wanted a Dublin Dr. Pepper or a time machine is the ability to make my own strength controlled Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper, 7UP, and root beer. Making that in a refillable bottle that isn't too big that I could do on my own — that is a fantasy. The good news is that SodaStream can make most of that dream come true. The bad news is that getting the syrup — the syrup I want — is virtually impossible.

Super Bowl ad wrapup: 'Ad' for farmers topped the list

Too bad that the best ad for food wasn't made by a food company.

The audio came from Paul Harvey. He delivered "So God Made a Farmer" at the 1978 Future Farmers of America convention. Beautiful text.

The truck ad was based on this ad from Farms.com, also using the Paul Harvey text. Ram reportedly made a large donation to Farms.com.

Okay, so the Super Bowl ad was for a truck (full disclosure: we cover trucks and cars in my day job). Still, that was the food highlight for the night. One new twist this year is that I've included live tweets I made based on first impressions of the ad.

Great ads for being a #farmer. Too bad it was 4 a truck. #superbowl

Taco Bell was clever in its reverse demo take, showing old people staying up late eating Taco Bell. The ironic hipsters who eat Taco Bell will appreciate the ads in their own way.

#TacoBell ad working 2 get that desired 65+ demo. They might get the soft taco instead of crunchy taco.

Subway brought back Jared for a 15-year anniversary of Jared having lost over 200 pounds. I had forgotten all about Jared. Plus, if we are checking to see if someone still has lost weight, that person should be standing up. And if he has kept the weight off, a) do we know it's Subway? and b) has his taste buds become damaged somehow?

Kudos to the chain for having a hashtag in the ad (#15yrwinning streak). So many companies forget to make that point in a multi million dollar ad buy. Sorry I didn't have a funny tweet on this one.

Jimmy John's played on the ironic old people, showing that they prefer Jimmy John's to tuna casserole. Personally, I would rather starve.

Early in the telecast, we saw a basketball locker room and a coach passing out McDonald's bags.The ad is more of a tie-in for McDonald's All-Americans. But the literal tie-in of star athletes keeping in shape by eating McDonald's has no place in real life.

Coach in @McDonalds ad wants fire in the belly, so he feeds them McD's. That might not be fire in their bellies.

Dorito's had lots of fun with the goat and later a young girl convincing her father and his friends to play dress up. The ads work with the idea that Doritos are too tempting. Clever.

Similar play to the Oreos library spot with the "cream vs. cookie" battle. These are fun foods; they might as well be portrayed in fun ads.

Turns out the free Pepsi Next is a 2-liter bottle if you went to the PepsiNext.com Web site to find out. The ad noted that the first million would get to try the soft drink for free. The ad played to the common theme that the soft drink was the most exciting thing in the room.

But if you have to resort to giving away a million bottles of a product that has been on the market for some time, you likely have a crappy product.

Would you drink #PepsiNext even if it was free? #superbowl

The Rock did an ad for milk where he ignored everyone in danger so he could chase down a gallon of milk for some young girls. Once he completed his mission, then he could fight crime. This ad suffered from being leaked, since I thought it was OK when I first saw it. The ad was a better sell for the person than the product.

Watching The Rock chase down #milk makes u wish we still had #milkmen. #Superbowl

Coca-Cola had a cute peace ad featuring Supertramp's "Give a Little Bit." The Coke chase was cute enough, but when the game was actually exciting, the chase wasn't great to begin with. When the concluding ad came back, I had almost forgotten there was a Coke chase. The dancers "won."

Dancers win #Coke chase. They win lots of #hfcs #superbowl

Sodastream brought up that using its product would have saved 500 million bottles on Game Day alone. When taste is the issue, and you don't talk about taste, that is a misguided ad. The better ad was the one that was banned. Good for the company that they made the other ad, at least some people are watching that one.

#Sodastream ad nice but not as cool as ad that was banned #superbowl

Pistachios went Gangham style. Interesting, but it felt too obvious. Watching this commercial 5 and 10 years from now, this will be funnier than it is now.

Temptation of the Week: Create a distinct Super Bowl feast

Even if your team isn't in the Super Bowl, you might consider eating like one of the host cities. A San Francisco theme would include sourdough bread, chocolate, garlic, and fresh fruits and vegetables, even in February. A Baltimore theme would have crab, crab fries with Old Bay seasoning, anything with Old Bay seasoning.

Or you could focus on the host city, New Orleans, and come up with a Cajun feast.

This is the Big Game: big halftime, big pre-game, prime time, all the commercials one can handle. This is not a chips and soda kind of event.

Sure, you might say, "wings and pizza." Yawn. This isn't Week 12 of the regular season. And who are we kidding, that pizza will be lame, delivered cold by some poor person desperate for tips from drunk people, because everyone else is also ordering pizza.

So if you don't want to do a city theme, or get the same old game snacks, how can you kick it up before kickoff?

-- Follow a theme as if your team was in the Super Bowl. This isn't to say fans in Detroit or Chicago should serve lion or bear meat nor do you have to pack in the food if you are a Packers fan. Detroit coneys, Chicago Italian beef, and Wisconsin cheese would do just fine.

-- Cook it yourself. We cook on Thanksgiving and Christmas (or equivalent seasonal holiday), but when the Super Bowl comes around, we get really lazy. Make your own onion dip. Do a taco bar where people put on their own fixings. Create a pizza bar so your guests can make their own pizzas.

-- Sneak in some healthier fare. Use Greek yogurt or regular yogurt, preferably fat-free, for the dips. Stuffed mushrooms involve a vegetable people will eat. Use a healthier cut of meat, such as buffalo, elk, or turkey, in your chili. No one is asking to make "healthy" stuff on Super Bowl Sunday, just healthier in ways your guests might not guess.

-- Put your own stamp on the day. You might come up with an idea that has more calories than any of these suggestions. But if you plan out the festivities, get creative, then you'll enjoy whatever you eat.

You and your friends will remember what you had for Super Bowl XLVII much more than Super Bowl XLVI or any other recent Big Game. Breaking out of old lame habits will require extra work and creativity. But you'll walk away, if you can walk afterward, with a better feeling about what you ate. On a fun day of food, the food you have should be fun.

Ron Santo overcame Type 1 diabetes to make it to the Baseball Hall of Fame

Ron Santo finally got his day, even though he died before he could see it. Santo is perhaps the most famous baseball player or athlete to excel on the field, even though he had Type 1 diabetes.

Vicki Santo, Ron's widow, gave the speech for her late husband on his induction in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

She remarked about the obstacles Santo had to overcome, especially since little was known about Type 1 diabetes when Santo came up to the Chicago Cubs in 1960. Santo didn't tell his teammates about his disease for about a decade.

Though Santo's numbers should have had him in the Hall of Fame long before he got there, imagine what his numbers would have been if he could have played longer in the major leagues. And speaking of numbers, Vicki Santo pointed out that her husband helped raise $65 million for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. That is even more impressive than the 342 home runs he hit in his MLB career.

Here are some diabetes-related excerpts from Vicki Santo's speech on Sunday:

"Ron Santo was born to play baseball. He said his ability to play baseball was a God given gift, that playing the game was easy, that it was only the diabetes that made the game hard. Looking back, he believed he was given the gift of talent as well as the challenge of diabetes so that through his hardship, he could shed light on a cause that he could help others through his story."

"You see, long before science and technology caught up to diabetes, Ron Santo was as much a guinea pig as he was a baseball player. On a given day, he played doctor and patient as well as third base. He tested his sugars by taking batting practice. He checked his glucose levels by fielding grounders. He gauged the amount of insulin he would need after running the bases. And this was before the game even started. His prescription was often a candy bar or a glass of orange juice, never letting on that his sugars were low or telling his teammates about his daily injections."

"Ron told the story many times about an afternoon at Wrigley Field when he was really struggling. The low sugar came over him very quickly, as it sometimes did, and suddenly he found himself in the on-deck circle. Don Kessinger, Glenn Beckert had already reached base, Billy Williams was at the plate and Ron's sugar was really low. It got so bad as Billy took his sweet time up there working the count that Ron was hoping Billy would just strike out so he could end the inning and get back to the dugout for a candy bar, but Billy walked to load the bases. Now Ron really had a problem. His vision was blurry and he was weak. His plan was to hit the first pitch but he didn't count on seeing three balls coming to him so he picked the middle of the three and swung hard. He did it. A grand slam. But as they ran the bases, Billy was jogging, enjoying the moment and Ron quickly caught up to him. Billy said, "Hey don't pass me up, what's your hurry?" Ron said, "You better get moving, Whistler, or I'm running right around you." Billy picked up the pace and they got off the field but it wasn't until years later that Ron explained why he needed to get off the field. He hid his diabetes for a decade. He was afraid they might take baseball away from him. That's a long time to keep a secret. Indeed, he was in so many ways a guinea pig."

"In 2001, Ron lost a leg, amputated because of the complications of diabetes. It had been a terrible fight. 10 operations in 10 months. The next year, he had a sore on the other foot and was faced with a decision. After weighing the odds of a full recovery and no recurrence, he decided to go with a second amputation. … He handled his diabetes with grace, dignity and a sense of humor. As he left for the ball park with the glucometer and insulin, we would joke about getting him an owner's manual in case any of the bionic parts were to break down, someone would be able to help him."

Temptation of the Week: AYCE at MLB ballparks

Those who obsess about calorie counting likely recoil at the idea of eating 2,200 calories in a day when they really wanted to eat 1,900 calories.

Eating 7,800 calories in one setting — almost 4 days worth of food for an average male — might cause a calorie counter to faint at the thought.

The case study, that's one way to put it, came from a story in The Washington Post a while back on MLB ballparks All You Can Eat offers.

Case in point: Before the first pitch at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore last week, Mark Mirchandani casually announced that he already had gobbled three Esskay dogs. Nearly three hours later, when the Orioles had finished off the Toronto Blue Jays, 2-1, Mirchandani said he had polished off 10 franks — not to mention two orders of nachos, two servings of peanuts, five tiny cups of ice cream, one soda and, apparently to restore order to his battered digestive system, a small container of salad. He had his reasons for the binge, which, incidentally, totaled approximately 7,800 calories, or about three times what the average male needs a day.

This isn't an admonishment or an endorsement of what he did; this is much more about why he ate so much, and what it says about the financial value we place on food.

This gentleman paid $35 to take in this feast in Baltimore. In Maryland's largest city, you could get a nice fresh seafood dinner for $35. Let's say you order a pound of crab legs, a side of fries, a bread basket, soup or salad, and maybe dessert. Most people would enjoy that meal, even if it didn't have as much "value."

We view food value in terms of quantity for money; the more food you can eat, the more value you get. Once you reach equal value, especially at ballpark prices, anything over that becomes free food.

If you don't sit in an AYCE area, you wouldn't order as much food as he did because you would have to pay for it. $35 at a MLB ballpark would likely buy you 5 hot dogs ($17.50), 1 order of nachos ($5.50), 1 bag of peanuts ($4), 1 small helmet full of ice cream ($4), and 1 soda ($4). The free food becomes the other 5 hot dogs, 1 order of nachos, 1 serving of peanuts, a small helmet of ice cream, and the small container of salad — slightly more than half of the food he ate.

The ballpark food bought at face value is almost 4,000 calories — about twice as much as the average male should consume. However, if the goal is calories for the buck, the ballpark dinner beats out the nice crab dinner.

The guy in Baltimore got 2.23 calories per penny. As food-wise bargains go, that would be hard to top.

If you are as young a person as this guy is (25) and you regularly consume 2,600 calories per day, you are still eating 3 days worth of food in one meal. If only we were bears, that would be awesome.

As for the curmudgeon to The Washington Post food chat, you are correct. "If I want to eat 8000 unhealthy calories at a baseball game its (sic) my business."

You might want to know that you are eating 8,000 calories. You might even be impressed with that. You should have an idea about how many calories you would require, as a point of comparison. This isn't anybody telling me what to do/not do. Just letting you know what you are doing to yourself.

My one ballpark meal in Baltimore was a crab sandwich from Ethel & Ramone's at the outdoor market ($9) that I brought into the stadium, a Boog Powell barbecue sandwich ($9), and tap water. Calorie total? Have not a clue. Cost? Slightly more than half of the $35 pigout. Value? Well, not as many calories per penny as the guy did in Baltimore, but the crab sandwich was amazing. Boog Powell knows what he is doing with barbecue. Paying $35 for food at Oriole Park without a Boog Powell barbecue sandwich? Not my definition of value.